If it's just heads...
in the van isn't that hard. Lower down the rear of the engine some, that
helps.

On 2/13/2013 4:03 AM, James Felder wrote:
> Walter;
>
> I recently went through the same thing on a 2.1. I don't think I ever worked harder on an engine but in the end, I should have pulled the engine. If the cylinders are that hard to remove, you are asking for trouble to try this I'm the car in my opinion.
>
> Good lick whatever you choose to do.
>
> Jim
>
> On Feb 12, 2013, at 9:22 PM, Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM> wrote:
>
>> Update: I'm still looking for the cause. I pressurized the cooling system
>> with 15 PSI and didn't see any leaks. Next, I pressurized each cylinder
>> with 100 PSI shop air and did not get any leaks into the cooling system,
>> either. The torque on all the head bolts was OK at 33 ft lbs. I then
>> pulled the low compression head part way off. it didn't look that bad,
>> there actually was minimal corrosion underneath the outer gasket, and I
>> didn't see any cracks. The cylinders were hard to pry off the head but
>> they came loose with some effort with a pry bar and some PB blaster. There
>> was some slight discoloration on the end of the cylinder barrels where
>> they fit in the head. On to the next head. this time one head stud felt a
>> little soft. It took about a quarter turn before the wrench clicked.
>> That's as far as I got. I'm still trying to get the head all the way off.
>> One cylinder barrel is stuck. I have tried soaking it in PB blaster and
>> various pry bars on those little tabs to no avail.
>>
>> Any recommendations on how to get this cylinder loose? The engine is in
>> the van and the van is in the garage so I am reluctant to try any heat.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Walter
>> 1985 1.9 that has been unopened for 15 years ...
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:33:46 -0500, Walter Houle <whoule@ECSCONTROLS.COM>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'll give it a go. First with the compressed air, then the stud check,
>>> then pulling a head. Hopefully by then I'll know which way to go from
>>> there. Thank you both for answers and advice.
>>>
>>> Walter
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:38:47 -0800, Scott Daniel - Turbovans
>>> <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
>>>
>>>> worth a try.
>>>> Might mention that coolant will come out if head nuts are loosened (
>>>> drain coolant first )
>>>> and that each nut needs to be resealed ..
>>>> as they seal in coolant.
>>>>
>>>> S.,
>>>> On 1/26/2013 7:02 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>>>>> You definitely need to do some testing to try to determine why the
>>>>> compression is down on those two cylinders. Before pulling the heads I
>>> would
>>>>> check the torque on the head nuts. Internal leaks between the tops of
>>> the
>>>>> cylinders and heads are really due to failure of the studs to keep the
>>> heads
>>>>> down under those compressive/pressure loads and the temperature changes
>>> of
>>>>> the engine parts. I have repaired a number of internal leak issues by
>>>>> re-torqueing the heads. The other failure point is cracked heads
>>> allowing
>>>>> the gasses into the cooling system. Coolant-hydrocarbon testing is not
>>>>> always effective for diagnosing. As part of the leak down test, by pass
>>> the
>>>>> gauge and apply full shop air pressure to the cylinders (secure the
>>>>> crankshaft securely) may make the leak obvious.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dennis
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>> Of
>>>>> Walter Houle
>>>>> Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2013 8:08 PM
>>>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>>> Subject: Coolant Overpressurization / Head Gasket Leak
>>>>>
>>>>> The morning after the 300 mile drive home from BBB I noticed that the
>>>>> coolant overfolw tank was full and overflowing a few drips. The
>>> expansion
>>>>> tank was also 100% full. I opened the pressure cap a little bit at a
>>> time
>>>>> and a lot of coolant pushed out - this on a stone cold engine that was
>>>>> sitting for 12 hours. It looks like I have an internal head gasket
>> leak.
>>>>> The strange part was that the van ran strong all the way home and
>> didn't
>>>>> show any obvious signs of overheating. We stopped and checked it twice
>>> along
>>>>> the way, no drips, no smell, and no excess heat. The temp gauge was
>>> over the
>>>>> right edge of LED and it behaved normally, up a tad on the climbs, and
>>> down
>>>>> a tad on the descents, just like always. I did a compression test today
>>> and
>>>>> it was 170-170-140-150. Its been low on 3 & 4 like that for a while,
>>> last
>>>>> test was 6 months ago, but this is the first time I've had coolant
>>> issues.
>>>>> I will try a hydrocarbon sniff of the coolant and then a leakdown test
>>> to
>>>>> confirm. I've read a lot in the archives, and its looking more and more
>>> like
>>>>> its a compression leak, and it looks like it is only occuring under
>>> load.
>>>>> The heads are old and have never been off, original VW factory rebuild,
>>> 15
>>>>> years and 75K miles ago.
>>>>> Yes, this is way overdue and I should have taken care of this earlier.
>>>>>
>>>>> I am assumming new heads are in order, and I'm hoping that is going to
>>> be
>>>>> it. What about the rest of the engine? If it was pushing coolant away
>>> from
>>>>> the cylinders, it was doing it for a long period of time. WHat else
>>> should I
>>>>> be looking at?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>> Walter
>>>>> 1985 Vanagon 1.9 in San Diego
>>>>>